Traditional courts and the struggle against state impunity for civil wartime offences in Mozambique
Article
Igreja, Victor. 2010. "Traditional courts and the struggle against state impunity for civil wartime offences in Mozambique." Journal of African Law. 54 (1), pp. 51-73. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021855309990167
| Article Title | Traditional courts and the struggle against state impunity for civil wartime offences in Mozambique |
|---|---|
| ERA Journal ID | 33462 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | |
| Author | Igreja, Victor |
| Journal Title | Journal of African Law |
| Journal Citation | 54 (1), pp. 51-73 |
| Number of Pages | 22 |
| Year | 2010 |
| Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
| ISSN | 0021-8553 |
| 1464-3731 | |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021855309990167 |
| Web Address (URL) | https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-african-law/article/traditional-courts-and-the-struggle-against-state-impunity-for-civil-wartime-offences-in-mozambique/96F7C1601FF82425C245BDB30BDF0D54 |
| Abstract | In the Mozambican context of the state amnesty for civil war crimes, war survivors have used their local ethics of reciprocity to create justice. This article analyses how survivors have attempted to persuade judges in traditional courts to adjudicate in serious wartime disputes. These judges, who have no official mandate to redress wartime offences, tried to preserve the conflicting interests of the litigants and the state. This positioning, coupled with the fact that the local ethics of reciprocity are embedded in uneven power and gender relations, resulted in some cases being adjudicated and others not, and in some disputes receiving no gender justice. Nevertheless, some of the interventions indicate that national and international institutions of justice are not the only ones engaged in the struggle against impunity for wartime crimes. In Mozambique, specific attention must be paid to the study of traditional justice mechanisms as fonts of redress for wartime crimes and for the long-term contribution they can make. |
| Keywords | Mozambique: amnesty; civil war crimes; judges; courts; wartime disputes; wartime offences |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 489999. Other law and legal studies not elsewhere classified |
| Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
| Byline Affiliations | University of Queensland |
| Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
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